2024 Democratic National Convention
CHICAGO (AP) Vice President Kamala Harris closes out the Democratic National Convention Thursday night when she accepts her party’s historic presidential nomination and seizes one of her few remaining opportunities to appeal to an audience of millions.
PBS News special coverage begins at 8 p.m. EDT. Watch that live in our player above.
Harris will lay out her vision for the country and prosecute her case against Republican Donald Trump, capping a whirlwind month that began when President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her to replace him atop the Democratic ticket.
Harris has three objectives for her speech, according to a campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive speech preparations. She’ll share her background, rising from a middle-class family to protect others as a prosecutor, contrast her “optimistic” vision with Trump’s “dark” agenda, and evoke a sense of patriotism, the official said.
Harris spoke briefly to the convention on Monday, when she thanked Biden and celebrated his record as president, and again on Tuesday, when the beginning of her rally in Milwaukee was streamed into the convention hall after Democrats reaffirmed their nomination of her with a state-by-state roll call.
Among others who will speak before Harris on Thursday are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, civil rights leader Al Sharpton, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.
Former Reps. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who has bucked his party to oppose Trump, and Gabby Giffords, the Arizona Democrat who was nearly killed in a mass shooting in 2011, are also scheduled to speak. The singer Pink is slated to perform.
PBS News will have gavel-to-gavel special coverage each day of the convention, with a continuous stream from the main floor.
The News Hour broadcast begins at 6 p.m. EDT from the anchor desk in Chicago. Starting at 8, Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett host on-air special analysis with a group of panelists and special guests, while correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports from the convention floor, talking to delegates and elected officials.
When special coverage ends each night around 11 p.m. EDT, digital video producer Deema Zein will host a live chat with Barrón-López on major takeaways.